theartofquilling.com

Next week I am teaching my first basic quilling class with a Halloween theme.  It will also be my first Mommy & Me class (mother & daughter pairs), so I am really looking forward to it.  For each class, I provide my students with three original quilling patterns along with all of the materials necessary to complete three projects.  After making the basic shapes for their take-home chart, we complete one of the projects in class.  They can then keep quilling at home with the other two projects… and get hooked on quilling (I hope)! 

 

I was looking around the web for inspiration and ran across a card that spelled “boo!” using a chipboard letter “b” and exclamation point “!”.  For the letter “o” they used jack-o-lantern stickers.  It was so cute and I knew it would be just perfect as one of the class projects since each pair could make the card together, with the Mommy quilling one of the pumpkins and the child quilling the other.  I wanted to put a photo of the inspiration card on this blog, but it is on a major site and I honestly couldn’t figure out who to ask, so I am including the link here so you can click over and take a look.

 

I am very happy with how my quilled Halloween card turned out. 

 

Being creative doesn’t have to be expensive.  All of the supplies for this card came from my own stash, except for the ribbon that was on sale this week at Michaels.  Use what you have to make quilled cards for each season.  The lucky recipient will thank you for it.

 

Quilling Tip:  The idea of using objects for letters is not new.  An arching black cat would make a perfect “h” in Halloween.  And a quilled witches broom could be the “l”, or used as an exclamation point.  You could even quill the spider from the last post and use it for the “o”  in “Boo!” instead of the pumpkins.  Just make its body out of a larger loose coil and shorten the legs, making him more of an “o” shape. 

 

“Thanks for sharing your ideas. The rose pattern came just in time as I’m working on a wedding invitation and was looking for a fill in. I used a strip of variation paper (shaded from red to white and back to red) and it came out beautifully.” 

 

 

Rick took the pattern I provided and changed it by using the variegated paper (Fig 1).  I think that it softened the rose and made it a better fit for her overall design.  She used the rose pattern again in her floral spray at the bottom of her piece (Fig 2), but changed the center teardrop of the rose to a marquise and omitted the rose leaves.  

 

You don’t need to copy a pattern exactly – use it as a jumping off point to quill the piece that you see in your own mind.  Change the colors, change the shapes, change the background … there are so many ways to change a pattern to make it your “own.”  You may think that you are not creative enough to come up with original patterns, but I’m willing to bet you can.  Creating an original pattern is as much a skill as anything and skills can be learned.  Start by making changes to an existing pattern.  Then make a few changes to the changes.  Pretty soon, you will see your own quilling style, your own creative voice, emerge. 

 

Puffy Velvet Fabric Markers by Marvy® Uchida are, as the name clearly indicates, made for fabrics.  However, paper crafters have discovered these markers and the product packaging now states that they are also “great for paper crafts.”  I was introduced to these markers through a very creative Yahoo! Group I belong to called the Scrapbook Lounge and have long wondered if the markers could be used with quilling.  Now that I have my blog I just had to buy some and try it — all in the name of research, you understand.  LOL!!!

 

Like many markers on the market, when you first open one, you need to shake it and then press the tip down on some scrap paper so the color can fill the tip.  Once the color flows, you are good to go. 

 

Continuing the rose theme from my last blog entry, I made two red rose buds.  I left one plain (Fig. 1) and painted the other one with the red marker. 

 

After letting it dry for 30 minutes per the instructions, I heated it with the heat gun and it puffed — a lot (Fig. 2).  While I didn’t like it enough to use it on my quilling, I found the effect very interesting and wanted to give it another try.  I quilled another rose bud and applied the fabric paint, but this time I immediately patted it with a paper towel to remove any excess paint. 

 

When I applied the heat gun, it didn’t puff nearly as much (Fig. 3).  The instructions tell you not to rub it after the puff-up effect is achieved, but I just had to touch it and it does, indeed, feel very soft and velvety.  I thought that this rose was worthy of finishing and made it into a card, just like I did with the plain one.

 

I next tried the yellow marker, but experienced very different results.  I couldn’t get the yellow paint to “puff.” 

You’ll see in Fig. 4 that the top rose is plain for comparison.  The middle rose has the puffy paint on, but it just didn’t do anything.  Trying to be fair, I made another yellow rose and gave it go.  In trying to get the paint to puff, you can see that I held the heat gun on the rose too long and burned the paper.  Oops!  I really don’t know if the problem is with the puffy paint marker or the user.  

 

My pack of markers includes the color black and you might just see this product again as I try it with some spiders and bats at Halloween.  If you would like to give it a try, you will find the Puffy Velvet Fabric Markers in the fabric paint section of your local craft store, not with the paper craft markers.  

 

How about you?  Do you know of a product that might work well with quilling?  Leave me a comment and I’ll investigate the possibilities.

 

Quilling Tip:  It is better to quill the rose bud, apply the paint and puff it with the heat tool before finishing the rose with the calyx and stem to avoid the possibility of the puffy paint bleeding onto the calyx.

 

 

 

The first issue of my newsletter is almost ready.  I don’t want to give away all of the surprises, but I can tell you that it contains a free quilling pattern for the rose featured in this blog, along with complete instructions for turning it into a romantic card for that special someone.  So, if you haven’t yet signed up for my newsletter, do it now.  You won’t want to miss it!

Unless you are creating a stand-alone, 3D paper sculpture, you will probably be attaching your finished quilling to some type of backing. This might be a card, scrapbook page, or a piece of mat board that you intend to frame. No matter what the surface, you will want to glue the quilling securely and cleanly with no glue showing to detract from your art.

 

There are several methods for applying the glue to the back of your quilling.

 

Spread a very thin layer of glue as large as your quilllwork onto a flat surface like a plate or plastic lid. Using a pair of tweezers, pick up your quilling, touch the bottom edges of the paper to the glue, then place it on the desired backing. A thin glue (such as Elmer’s) works best for this technique. If you normally use a thick, tacky glue for quilling, you might try thinning it with a drop or two of water. You want the glue thin enough to spread thinly and evenly over your flat work surface. A foam brush helps to spread the glue. If the glue is too thick, the loose center of the coils will stick to the gluing surface, pulling them apart and ruining your piece. This method works especially well when tendrils and vines are part of the design. Once you have the glue on the back of your quillwork, you need to attach it exactly where you want it. If you try and slide your quilling into the correct placement, you will leave glue smudges. Any glue you see will turn shiny and even though it is clear, it will be noticeable.

 

You can also use a small paintbrush to paint the glue onto the back of your quilling. Use care in touching only the bottom edges of the paper with the glue to avoid unwanted globs or smudges. Again, a thinner glue is easier to spread with the paintbrush. Tweezers are useful to help hold the quilling and assist in placement when glued.  

 

I actually don’t use either of these methods. I spread glue on the back of my quilling using a toothpick. I pick up a little glue on the tip of the toothpick and roll the toothpick over the quills. Depending on the design, I apply glue to the tight rolls and centers of the quills to allow a little more “wiggle room” when placing the quilling on my background. If glue is not over the entire back, I can slide the quilling just a tad if needed without the glue showing. If I do end up with a bit of glue on the background, I slightly moisten a fresh toothpick (you don’t want it dripping) and gently wipe up the glue. 

 

 

Quilling Tip:  Make sure your background surface is ready before you apply glue to the back of your quillwork. You don’t want the glue to dry before you have a chance to attach the quilling. If not, you will have to apply more glue which increases your chances of having glue showing on your finished art.

Creative ideas — we all have them, but do you capture them for future use?  If not, you are losing a very valuable crafting resource.  

 

Flashes of inspiration can occur anytime, anywhere. You may be browsing through a home decorating magazine and spot a color combination you wouldn’t normally choose. It catches your eye and you begin thinking that the colors would look striking on a handmade card. Or you see a floral arrangement that is quite out of the ordinary. You begin imagining it recreated in quilled flowers. It is such a good idea that you are sure you will remember it later. But, sadly, you probably won’t.

 

Last year, when I decided to get serious about my quilling, I realized just how many ideas I was losing track of. Sometimes the idea would return at a later time when I happened upon the same set of circumstances that sparked it in the first place, but I know that many are gone for good. To save as many ideas as possible, I created an idea box.

 

At a local office supply store I purchased a sturdy 3″x5″ card box, along with a set of tabbed dividers and cards printed in fancy colors (just because they made me smile). An unused recipe box you have tucked away or found at a yard sale together with scrap card stock cut to size could certainly be used and would be a great way to recycle. The tabbed dividers had the names of the months printed on them, so I turned them around and used the back. I wrote the names of the categories I wanted on some blank peel-and-stick labels I had, cut them to size, and stuck them on the tabs. Some of the categories I use are 3-D Quilling, Ornaments, Floral Ideas, Greeting Cards, Christmas, and Bits & Pieces, for ideas that don’t seem to fit elsewhere. You should customize your tabs to fit your own ideas.

 

The beauty of this system is that it not only allows me to capture a brief description of my idea, but to include a sketch, crude as it may be, or attach the actual picture that provided the original inspiration. I scanned one of my cards to show you what I mean. It’s not “pretty” and I certainly had no idea at the time I made it that anyone else would ever see it, but I think it accurately demonstrates my point.

 

Remember, with this system you aren’t designing your project, just jotting down enough information to jog your memory at a later time. This is meant to be a quick and easy tool used to capture the spirit of the idea before it is lost, not necessarily the details. If the process turns into a chore, you won’t use it. 

 

I encourage you to make your own Quilling Idea Box and keep it near your work space. When you have an idea, jot it down. When you need inspiration at a later date, simply open your box and look through your cards. I have no doubt that you will see a note that will start your creative juices flowing.  

July 4th is right around the corner and I wanted to create a special quilling project to celebrate America’s birthday.  I was looking around the Internet for patriotic images when I happened upon an American flag made with safety pins and pony beads.  Now, this is not a new craft; children have been making safety pin jewelry for years.  But this time when I saw the photo something clicked and I began to wonder if I could substitute quilled beads for the plastic pony beads.   I pulled out a safety pin from my sewing basket and made a few tight coils as test beads.  I slipped them on the safety pin and realized that the idea would work.  After a trip to my local craft store for the safety pins, I was ready to make my own version of this childhood crafting classic. 

 

Quill (9) blue 3″ tight coils, (26) red 3″ tight coils, and (21) white 3″ tight coils.  If you think that your pin will be handled a lot, spray the quills with several coats of sealer to protect them.  Next, take a 1-1/4″ long coiless pin slip on three blue tight coils, then four more tight coils in this order: white, red, white, red. When it is fully loaded, shut the pin and crimp the clasp with your pliers so it cannot come open.  Repeat for two more pins.  Load the five remaining coiless pins with seven tight coils in this order: red, white, red, white, red, white, red.  Crimp the clasps to secure the beads. 

 

Using the photo as a guide, assemble your American Flag pin by placing the eight 1-1/4″ pins on the shaft of the 2″ pin, making sure they are in the right order.  With the front of the pin facing you, wrap one end of the wire around left-hand side of the shaft of the 2″ pin several times then run it through the pin loop to secure it.  Wrap the wire several times around the handle of your quilling tool to form little coils.  Secure the remaining end of the wire to the clasp end of the 2″ safety pin.  In honor of our brave troops, tie the yellow ribbon onto the wire loop and clip the ends.

 

Wear your American Flag pin on July 4th or any day you want to show your national pride!

 

I encourage you to take this idea and adapt it to your own country’s flag. 

 

*Coiless safety pins have the same basic shape as regular safety pins, but instead of having a circle loop of wire at the end, the wire simply bends. I used The Jewelry Shoppe brand coiless pins that I found at Hobby Lobby.  If you can’t find coiless pins, you can certainly use regular safety pins, but you will have to purchase them a bit longer because you will lose a bit of available space due to the coil.  Also, if you use regular safety pins to hold your tight coil beads, you will need to pull apart the double looped end of the two inch long safety pin wide enough to slide the other safety pin loops through to the other side of the pin. 

 

 

Quilling Tip:  A Google image search will bring up a multitude of wonderful pictures when you need creative inspiration.  Don’t limit your search to quilling, but look at all types of images from clip art to photographs.  You never know what you might find … or where it might lead you in your creative journey.

For me, summer means the beach.  I love to hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing upon the shore as I lounge contentedly under the shade of a big umbrella.  But, since I can’t go to the beach, I thought I would do the next best thing and craft something tropical instead.  Today’s quilling pattern is a fun one because it introduces a new quilling coil, technique, and tool. 

 

The trunk of the palm tree is made from a coil called a “rectangle” because it is, well, a rectangle.  To make this quill, roll a loose coil and pinch it into a marquise.  Next, move the marquise slightly between your thumbs and index fingers and pinch again, forming two more points near the original ones.  You should now have a rectangle quill that has two long sides and two short sides. 

 

We’ll also be playing with a new tool — a paper crimper.  I bought mine at the North American Quilling Guild Conference this past May.  The one I have is made by Paplin, but there are several good ones on the market.  It isn’t a “must have” quilling tool, but it is so much fun. To use the crimper, simply feed your paper strip through the gears and it comes out crimped.  If you don’t have a paper crimper you can still make the palm tree.  Just make the palm fronds with straight quilling paper instead. 

 

Finally, I want to show you a bit about wheatears.  This isn’t a coil or a scroll because you don’t curl the paper, you loop it instead.  To make a wheatear, create a small loop.  Now, while holding the original loop, make a larger loop around it.  Keep looping the paper until your wheatear is as long as desired, then glue the paper down at the starting point and either tear or cut off the excess paper.  Wheatears can be left rounded, or shaped like a coil.  For the palm frond, you’ll pinch the ends like a marquise and bend the ends in opposite directions to give the frond a little curve.

 

 

Using the photo as a guide, glue the rectangle coils on top of each other to form the palm tree trunk.  Give the top rectangle coil a little pinch to form the top of the trunk.  Glue the base of each wheatear to the tip of the palm tree trunk, mixing up the sizes.  Glue the tip of the gold pressed heart to the tip of the gold teardrop to create a fun little fish swimming in the surf.

 

The palm tree and fish make perfect additions to a beach-themed tag  — a great embellishment for a vacation scrapbook page.

 

(1) Tag, 4-1/2″ x 2-1/8″, blue (DMD Industries)

Card stock scraps, turquoise, white, beige, gold

Blending chalk, brown (optional)

Jute twine, 6″

 

Using the photo as a guide, tear a strip of tan card stock, chalk the edge a darker brown (optional), and glue it to the tag for the sand.  Tear a strip of white card stock and glue it over the bottom edge of the tan strip for the crashing waves.  Tear a strip of turquoise and glue it along the bottom of the tag for the deep water, leaving a strip of the original blue tag showing for the shallow water.  Tear a curved piece of gold card stock and glue it in the corner for the sun.  Trim off any card stock edges even with the tag.  Glue the palm tree and goldfish in place.  Tie the jute on with a simple overhand knot and fringe the edges.  Be sure to sign your work!

 

I hope you decide to join me at the beach and give this project a try.  If so, I’d love to hear from you.  Send me a comment and let me know how it turned out. 

 

Quilling Tip:  Don’t pinch the crimped paper too hard or you will flatten out the paper folds and lessen the effect.

If you are going to make more than just one or two small pieces of quilling, you owe it to yourself to purchase one of the quilling workboards and design guides that are currently available.  These are quality boards made of dense self-healing cork or durable foam that are sturdy and made to last for years.  The design grid guides and circle templates help you create precise, uniform quills, which is very important when working with symmetrical patterns such as snowflakes.  

 

A variety of quality designer boards, grids, and templates are available from the Scrapbook Super Center (just enter “quilling” into the search menu) and Custom Quilling.

 

However, if you are working with a group (Scout troop, church group, craft club, etc.), it is not always practical to purchase each member their own quilling workboard.   You can make one instead.

 

 

Wax paper makes a serviceable cover sheet for your workboard; it is handy and certainly cheap enough.  However, a word of caution is in order – if too much glue is used and the quillwork is accidentally glued to the wax paper, when you remove the quillwork the wax will come up with the quilled design.  I prefer to use clear plastic sheets cut from scrap (think old plastic sheet protectors or office transparencies) or recycled plastic packaging (not the hard stuff toys are packaged in, but the thin plastic scrapbook embellishments are wrapped in, heavy-duty food baggies, etc.).  You can either pin the workboard cover in place, or wrap it around and tape it to the back.   Slip your quilling pattern underneath the cover sheet (plastic or wax paper), pin in place, and create your quilled masterpiece.

 

For symmetrical work, a design grid can be created from a piece of graph paper cut to fit your quilling workboard.  Using a ruler and black pen or fine-tip marker, draw in your vertical and horizontal lines to divide your sheet roughly into fourths.  Continue to draw in intersecting lines as needed for your pattern.  Circles can be added to the grid with the aid of a compass or circle template. 

 

If you find that you need to make many coils of the same size, you can create your own template by tracing small round objects of various dimensions (coins, bottle caps, washers, brads, etc.) onto scrap paper or card stock.  Place this guide (shown in the top photo) under your workboard cover sheet and allow your quills to uncoil to the size of the desired circle.